Reuters (11/20, Millar) reports a study published in The Lancet Psychiatry concluded that “having an abortion does not increase women’s risk of suicide.” The study was “based on data from 520,000 Danish women over 17 years” and “found pre-existing mental health problems were the strongest risk factor for women trying to end their lives.” Investigators also “found that among women who had a first-trimester abortion, 8.9 in 1,000 made a non-fatal suicide attempt in the year before the procedure, while 8.6 per 1,000 did in the year directly after,” and “said the similarities in the rate indicated that the suicide attempts could not be attributed to the abortion.”

Healio (11/20) reports the study suggests that “although women who have had an abortion have a higher risk for nonfatal suicide attempts, the abortion itself is not the cause.” Julia R. Steinberg, PhD, one of the study’s authors, said, “There are 12 states that inform women seeking abortions that abortion increases or may increase their risk for suicidal ideation or mental health problems.”

Related Links:

— “Danish study rejects link between abortion and suicide, “Molly Millar, Reuters, November 20, 2019

Bloomberg BusinessWeek (11/20, Koons) reports that more Americans “turn to out-of-network providers when seeking mental health care than when seeking medical care, and the trend continues to worsen, a new study shows, despite a law designed to prevent this problem for people seeking treatment for conditions such as depression and addiction.” In an update of a 2017 report about access to mental health treatment, researchers “found that the disparity between medical coverage and mental and behavioral health coverage continued to grow in 2016 and 2017.”
        
Forbes (11/20, Japsen) also reports on the story.

Related Links:

— “Mental Health Coverage Continues to Fall Short, Study Shows, “Cynthia Koons, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, November 20, 2019

CNN (11/19, Silverman, Alsup) reports five lawsuits were filed against JUUL this week, claiming its “advertising campaigns target young people to use nicotine without knowing the associated risks by enticing them with flavor pods.” The suits “were filed…by the states of California and New York, two Washington state counties and a school district.”

The Hill (11/19, Weixel) reports the New York complaint alleges “JUUL’s advertising and social media posts misled consumers about the content of its products by failing to warn that they contain nicotine.” JUUL faces “numerous state and federal investigations about the role it played in what public health officials have called an ‘epidemic’ of youth vaping.”

CBS News (11/19) reports “New York’s lawsuit comes one day after California filed its complaint,” which alleges “that JUUL had a marketing plan that described their target customer and the targeted customer had common characteristics of teenagers and young adults.” CBS News says, “The mounting litigation against JUUL comes in the same week that President Donald Trump has reportedly backpedaled on his intentions to ban most flavored e-cigarettes.”

Also covering the story are ABC News (11/19, Schumaker) and NBC News (11/19).

Related Links:

— “At least five lawsuits have been filed against e-cigarette company Juul this week for allegedly targeting minors, ” Hollie Silverman, CNN, November 19, 2019

The AP (11/19, Ehrmann) reports, “New safety standards aimed at limiting suicide risks have led to overhauls inside hospitals around the country, with psychiatric facilities and wards removing bathroom doors, stripping artwork from walls and requiring patients to wear paper gowns instead of their own clothes,” changes that “have forced costly renovations and caused a backlash, with some critics contending they’ve made hospital rooms feel more like jail cells.” American Psychiatric Association President Bruce Schwartz, MD, said, “We’re buying the same furniture and plumbing fixtures as prisons and jails,” measures that are “creating harsher environments in psychiatric facilities,” according to the AP. The AP adds that the current “length of stay for psychiatric patients at a psychiatric facility is seven to 10 days, according to the APA.”

Related Links:

— “Hospital psychiatric wards now feel like prisons, some say, “Chris Ehrmann, AP, November 19, 2019

Healio (11/19, Gramigna) reports research appears to underscore “the significantly higher costs for privately insured adult patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder [MDD] and suicide ideation/attempt than adults without MDD.” Investigators arrived at this conclusion after examining data on “2,061 patients aged 18 to 64 years with MDD and suicide ideation/attempt using Optum Health Care Solutions database of privately insured patients.” The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy – AMCP Nexus 2019.

Related Links:

— “Patients with MDD and suicide ideation/attempt experience significant health care costs, “Joe Gramigna, Healio, November 19, 2019